100% Fake Snow

In the past, most places hosting the Winter Olympics, snow was not an issue because it was a normal thing in the area or fairly close but China chose a location where snow is not a regular part of winter. If the area gets snow, they don't get more than about 7 inches which is not enough for all the events. Since they needed snow,  China had to make 185 metric liters of snow because they didn't have any. 

Although it is labeled fake, the headlines are referring to the fact they are using artificial snow rather than relying on the natural stuff.  There are cases in the past where artificial snow was used to supplement the supply but this is the first time, a country has had to make all the snow required for the events. The Chinese government hired a single company to provide snow for all four venues. 

Normally, when people create artificial snow, they use water under high pressure, compressed air, and a special nozzle to blow extremely small droplets of water that freeze in the cold air.  Unfortunately, pure water doesn't really freeze until the temperature gets low, usually around -40 degrees F. However, if the water is in tiny droplets, it can freeze at 32 degrees F but humans usually use something like sodium iodide to start the process of creating snow while nature relies upon a tiny ice crystal.

When humans use tiny droplets of water, the snow is actually a small spherical ball of ice that looks like snow to the naked eye but isn't.  This is why artificial snow feels so hard and icy. Most recreational skiers want a nice fresh powder but the competitive skiers want snow that will help them go faster, turn sharper, etc. 

Another issue with making snow for China, is that the outdoor temperatures have to be down at freezing and the area around Beijing has not gotten that cold in the last 30 years. On the other hand, the venues in the higher elevations will not have this problem. The company hired used a bunch of snow cannons, fan driven snow generators, and cooling towers to produce the snow. 

Due to the demands of needing to produce around 1.2 million cubic meters of snow over an area of 800,000 square meters, the demand for water is extremely high. It has been estimated the company is using around 49 million gallons of water which is the same amount needed to fill 3,600 average sized swimming pools or provide drinking water to around 100 million people for the day.  The cost is estimated to be over $60 million dollars just for the machines that has to be calculated as part of the expense of hosting the olympics. 

The use of artificial snow changes the way competitors react and sometimes it is more dangerous because the snow is too icy and too fast.  This is the way China met the challenge of no snow so it could host the demands of the Winter Olympics.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.